A possible WISE blazar counterpart of the faint INTEGRAL active galactic nucleus IGR J02341+0228

ATel #4103; F. Massaro (Stanford University), A. Paggi (SAO), R. D'Abrusco (SAO)
on 8 May 2012; 20:51 UT
Credential Certification: Francesco Massaro (francesco_mss@yahoo.it)

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Following the Swift-XRT identification of the counterpart for the faint INTEGRAL active galactic nucleus IGR J02341+0228, associated with a new extragalactic source: QSO B0231+022 (ATEL #4102), we searched in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE; Wright et al. 2010 AJ, 140, 1868) catalog at the position of the QSO B0231+022 source for an infrared counterpart. Using the association procedure outlined in Massaro, F. et al. 2011 ApJ, 740L, 48 and in Massaro, F. et al. 2012 ApJ in press (http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.3801) we aim at verifying if the infrared counterpart is a gamma-ray blazar candidate. Our association procedure is based on infrared color analyses using WISE data. The association method has been successfully used not only to search for low energy counterparts of Fermi unidentified gamam-ray source but also in the case of unidentified INTEGRAL sources as illustrated in Massaro, F. et al. 2012 ApJ, 750L, 35 (http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.4230)

Our search found a single source with IR colors typical of gamma-ray blazars within the positional uncertainty of the QSO B0231+022 as reported in ATEL #4102. The source is WISE J023349.19+022925.1 and its coordinates are:
R.A.(J2000) = 02h33m49.20s (38.4549913 deg)
Dec. (J2000) = 02d29m25.20s (2.4903327 deg).

According to the WISE All-sky catalog (available at http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/docs/release/allsky/ ), WISE J023349.19+022925.1 is detected in all four energy bands with the following magnitudes:
m(3.4 micron) = 12.117 +/- 0.024
m(4.6 micron) = 11.030 +/- 0.020
m(12 micron) = 8.633 +/- 0.021
m(22 micron) = 6.451 +/- 0.048

The WISE gamma-ray blazar candidate (WISE J023349.19+022925.1) is positionally consistent (1.31 arcsec offset) with the position of the QSO B0231+022, which was indicated as a possible low energy counterpart of the INTEGRAL active galactic nucleus IGR J02341+0228 (ATel# 4102). In addition the WISE J023349.19+022925.1 source is positionally consistent with the radio counterpart of QSO B0231+022 (3.22 arcsec offset from the NVSS position). Thus, we conclude that the INTEGRAL source is also a gamma-ray blazar candidate.

This analysis makes use of data products from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Additional details concerning the association procedure can be found in D'Abrusco, R. et al. 2012 ApJ, 748, 68; Massaro, F. et al. 2012 ApJ, 750, 138 (http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.1330); Massaro, F., et al. 2012 ApJ, 750L, 35 (http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.4230).